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☰
Portland Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Portland Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.5 
Organization 4.2 
Spectators 4.3
Number of comments: 295 [displaying comments 121 to 131]
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T. O. from Bartlett, TN
(10/11/2008)
"Race organization definitely needs improving" (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 5 The expo and course management were the biggest detractors for this marathon. They actually stopped runners at around the halfway point to allow traffic to go through (thought this was suppose to be a closed course?). The fan support was fantastic, and despite quite a few railroad tracks, I liked the course. (How could I not? I PR'd). | |
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J. H. from Everett, Washington
(10/11/2008)
"A good event in a great city." (about: 2008)
6-10 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 It's really hard to say anything bad when you are able to run a marathon on your sixtieth birthday! People should quit complaining about the out-and-back section in the industrial area because there are a lot of other runners to look at, and I had several friends ahead of me to shout at. The rain was a bit annoying, but mostly because I cleverly ditched my hat before the race started. The event is well organized and the fans were very supportive, even on a soggy day. And Portland is a great city to visit. | |
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Tom McManus from San Francisco, CA
(10/10/2008)
"My favorite marathon" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Portland Marathons
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Having broken the 4-hour mark and PR'd in Portland, I may have some bias, but this is the race where it happened, and that gives me a very good feeling. I like the course = it is mostly flat and the hill was where I finally caught up to the red lizard 4:00 pace sign. Cool weather is a plus. Good entertainment and fans. Great support at water stops and kids reading out times at the mile markers (though some of them need to speak up). | |
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B. W. from Alaska
(10/10/2008)
"Great race!" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 I enjoyed Portland. The course was much more industrial than I had hoped, but Portland itself is a great town. It's true that there were a number of downhills, but there were also a few uphills, including a pretty big incline between miles 16 and 17. | |
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C. T. from Dallas, TX
(10/10/2008)
"Great city and well organized race" (about: 2008)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 This was my third full marathon and first Portland Marathon. I had heard the complaints about the industrial area of the course for the last few years, so I knew what to expect and didn't think it was that bad. Not scenic by any measure but it was flat. If you want the really scenic stuff, it's going to be VERY hilly. Downtown, the view going across the St. John's Bridge, the neighborhood just after the bridge, and some other small pocket neighborhoods were all fantastic. It was rainy (mist, drizzle, rain) off and on most of the time, but it didn't keep the spectators from coming out to support the runners and walkers. The expo was somewhat small, but it had some great vendors and was well organized. The volunteers were great, but aid stations were somewhat difficult to locate. The finish area was well organized and stocked with a variety of food. I really like the tree seedling, and the tech finisher shirt is nice. It's definitely a race worth running again. | |
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P. D. from Seattle WA
(10/9/2008)
"A great first marathon!" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 This was my first full marathon, but I've run lots of half-marathons and I'm the race director for a couple of 5K/10Ks. The organization was superb, the crowd support outstanding, the volunteers incredible, and other than my stomach tanking at 35K, there wasn't a thing I'd change! | |
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K. W. from New Hampshire
(10/9/2008)
"overrated and hyped-up marathon" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 I was one of the "lucky" participants to run the '08 marathon, where we had rain for the majority of the race. The course to me was hyped up to be a nice run, but I found it to be too industrial and boring. Choking down diesel fumes for many miles in the early stages left much to be desired. The use of non-mass marketed items on the course was another down for me. I was not about to try PureGold Gel the day of! The surface of the roads left me feeling like I had run a trail race, as I had to constantly look down to make sure I was not running into a pothole or slick manhole cover. Getting stopped by a train for close to a minute at mile 25 was just a kick in the face at that point. The shirt and medal are ordinary, though I do like the fact that the only people that are able to wear them are those who actually finished the race. (You receive your shirt at the finish line.) I found the expo to be average for this size event. There were a few pros to this race: 1. The wave start was great. 2. The volunteers on the course were great, as was the placement of water. I just didn't care for gummy bears at places with no fluids. I would not run this race again with the current course. I think that there must be pretty places in Portland, just none on this course. I will not recommend this race to people. For all the hype online for this race, it was a huge disappointment for both myself and my boyfriend (who also ran the marathon). | |
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d. c. from la habra, california
(10/9/2008)
"good organization, bland course" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 The Portland Marathon is pretty well organized. They do a good job separating the runners from the walkers by starting them at separate locations. As for the course itself, it does not highlight The Rose City. Having to run past a railroad yard, lumber warehouses, and factories makes the course pretty bland. You also have to be careful of the potholes on Front Ave. (when running through that industrial area). The best part of the course comprised the last 8 miles of mostly declines. Having the marathon course in the Portland City Limits would be nice, but it would be a lot hillier. Weather was nice and overcast. The rain did not slow me down. Because of the course, I would not do this marathon again. | |
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D. R. from Illinois
(10/8/2008)
"Great volunteers, industrial course" (about: 2008)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 The light rain was inconvenient, but the course was flat, even downhill much of the time. I always hear that Oregon is beautiful, but I didn't see any of that on the course. Volunteers were outstanding! | |
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C. M. from Michigan
(10/6/2008)
"I'm just glad it's over ;-)" (about: 2008)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Portland Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 First six miles were amazing. Fantastic ambiance, plenty to see, fantastic bands. Really fizzled out by the time I hit the halfway point though. For a marathon that boasts about having over 70 acts on the course... it's funny how like 10 miles went by with nothing to look at other than industrial wasteland, and car exhaust to suck in. If my iPod hadn't stopped working at mile 10, I probably would have enjoyed it a bit more; however, I thought this was supposed to be an entertaining marathon. The hobos passed out on both sides of the street at like mile 23 were an interesting addition, not to mention the strange man who was trying to sell "energy drink" to those of us running. Great gear-check system, and fantastic refreshment handling on the course, though they did not have very vegan-friendly finisher's food. Fruit looked horrible; even in my state, I couldn't stomach brown apples and mushy-looking oranges. Great finisher shirt. |
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